The covers are badly shelf stained, the body of the book is immaculate: unamarked, clean and solid. "The Great Initiates encompasses long centuries of human existence and reflects our great search--the greatest search of all--the quest for the spirit. This book describes the motivations behind external history, the growth of religious striving, the rise and fall of cultures, and indicates their importance for us today. It reflects the lives and deeds of human beings of extraordinary stature: Rama, Krishna, Hermes, Moses, Orpheus, Pythagoras, Plato, and Jesus." (goodreads) "Eduard (Édouard) Schuré (January 21, 1841 in Strasbourg - April 7, 1929 in Paris) was a French philosopher, poet, playwright, novelist, music critic, and publicist of esoteric literature." The book is in French.